Democrats are in turmoil over newly elected President Donald Trump’s appointment of Kari Lake as the new director of the Voice of America broadcaster.
Lake, a former TV host turned politician, was announced by Trump as the incoming Voice of America (VOA) director on Wednesday evening.
“I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next director of the Voice of America,” the Republican wrote on Truth Social.
“She will be appointed by and work closely with our next head of the U.S. Global Media Agency, which I will announce soon, to ensure that America’s values of Liberty and Liberty are fairly and accurately broadcast around the world, in unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”
“Kari was a beloved news anchor in Arizona who supported me by record margins for more than two decades. Congratulations Kari!’
While MAGA land was thrilled to hear the news, Democrats were less than happy.
A BlueSky account for the Get More Smarter podcast, a program about Colorado politics hosted by Democratic operatives Jason Bane and Ian Silverii, wrote: “He’s really going to make Kari Lake the chief minister of international propaganda.”
David Schwartz, a former member of the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s executive committee, said in a BlueSky post: “Putting Kari Lake in charge of monitoring fake news is like putting a cat to watch over mice.”
Kari Lake, a former TV host turned politician (photo, center), was announced by Trump (photo, center left) as the new director of Voice of America (VOA) on Wednesday evening.
Lake himself told X, “I am honored that President Trump asked me to lead the Voice of America.”
She added, “I worked at the Washington Post with Michael Abramowitz (the current director of VOA) and I’m not entirely sure he can be removed this way.”
Lake himself told X, “I am honored that President Trump asked me to lead the Voice of America.
“Voice of America is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by connecting directly with people around the world and advancing democracy and truth.
‘With an audience of 326 million people, Voice of America delivers information in 48 languages. Under my leadership, VOA will excel in its mission of documenting America’s achievements around the world.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I’m excited to lead the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Lake’s appointment as director of VOA will force Lake to move to Washington, D.C. to oversee the agency’s day-to-day operations.
The VOA has approximately 1,000 employees and its 2023 budget was approximately $267 million.
According to the VOA site, the agency can reach more than 300 million people across all platforms.
The VOA is part of the American Agency for Global Media.